Tag: St. Francis

Canticle to St. Francis

As an animal lover, I’ve always had a soft spot for St. Francis of Assisi. (Also, I was fortunate enough to visit his hometown before the devastating earthquakes of 1997.)

Today is Saint Francis’ feast day. This is a saint who was never too busy to chat with the birds or to befriend a wolf. He introduced the crèche to Christmas, complete with livestock. He even lobbied for a special law so that people would provide for the birds and the beasts. How could you not love this guy?

Regardless of one’s creed, no one, I should think, would take umbrage at the idea of love and respect for the natural world. Take a moment today to be kind to the animals. Hug your pet. Water the birds. Let a cricket out of the house. Bless all animals! Then enjoy some of the music below, only a fraction of the music inspired by St. Francis.

———-

Franz Liszt’s “Saint Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds” (piano)

Liszt’s “Saint Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds” (orchestra)

Francis Poulenc’s “Quatre petites prières de saint François d’Assise”

Paul Hindemith’s “Nobilissima Visione” (suite, conducted by the composer)

Hindemith’s “Nobilissima Visione” (rarely-heard complete version)

Leo Sowerby’s “Canticle of the Sun” (1946 Pulitzer Prize winner)

Kenneth Fuchs’ “Canticle to the Sun” for French horn and orchestra

More about the 1997 quake that damaged Assisi’s St. Francis Basilica

https://www.italyonthisday.com/2017/09/st-francis-basilica-struck-by-earthquake.html

October 4, 2026
Pope Francis Music on Yom Kippur

As Pope Mania grips the East Coast and anxiety levels skyrocket among Philadelphians who are bracing for a long weekend essentially kept under house arrest, I thought I’d add kerosene to the holy water by filling the airwaves with music in honor of Pope Francis.

How to do a salute to Pope Francis on Yom Kippur and not come across as insensitive? That’s the dilemma I faced when Marvin Rosen asked if I would switch with him for the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

So as not to be reviled as classical radio’s equivalent of Torquemada, I am reshelving some of the masses I had been considering. Instead I have struck upon the happy idea to play works inspired by St. Francis – the Pope’s namesake – and interleaving them with music inspired by animals. St. Francis, after all, had a marvelous affinity for our four-legged friends. And who doesn’t love animals?

I hope you’ll join me, if you’re able, on WEDNESDAY this week, to enjoy Francis-oriented works by Hindemith, Liszt, Poulenc, Rodrigo, Walton, Leo Sowerby and Kenneth Fuchs, and plenty of music for the critters. I’ll be handing out the treats from 6 to 11 a.m. ET, on Classic Ross Amico.

Then come back on THURSDAY morning for Marvin Rosen’s Classical Discoveries. Sleep isn’t so important to Marvin, so he’ll be there, as always, from 5:30 to 11, keeping company with the roosters, at WPRB 103.3 FM or online at wprb.com.

September 21, 2015